Little Blue Children
by Strickens
Summary: After the end of the Reaper War, Commander Shepard is faced with a new challenge: that of fatherhood and family life. Why aren't there manuals for this stuff?
1. Diapers

**AN: I decided there isn't enough family fluff for Femshep/Liara in the Mass Effect Universe, and plus I'm struggling to write anything angsty/action/serious so hey, why not stick to what I'm comfortable with right? So yeah.**

**This will be a series of one-shots following the Reaper War, it won't really have an end, I just figured it would be easy to collate all my Shiara fluff in one place :)**

**Enjoy!**

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So here she was, faced down with the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her entire lifetime. She'd defeated the reapers, stood toe to toe with one as it fired lasers at her; she'd torn husks apart with her bare hands, blood splattering her armour; put bullets through the heads of Cerberus lackeys and defended the universe from everything imaginable, but this?

Shepard bit her lower lip, steeling herself. Her hands flexed and un-flexed instinctively as she struggled to find the willpower within herself to prepare for what she was about to undertake. She sighed heavily, swallowing a lump in her throat as she prayed for someone to come along and save her from having to perform this duty; nothing in life could prepare her for what she was about to face.

"_You can do this_," she whispered to herself bravely, giving a small nod as she took another deep breath.

She stared down at the squirming blue baby on the changing table before her, clad only in a diaper that she could smell was in dire need of changing, and she knew the second she pulled the sticky tabs free that she would be met with the scent times ten.

"Okay little blue, here we go," she cooed softly, smiling despite herself as the barely two-month old made high pitched humming sounds as her daddy's hands finally found their way to the sides of the diaper and quickly tore open the tabs.

"_Oh_... _OH!_" her nose crinkled and she felt her eyes literally begin to water as the full force of the smell hit her sinuses, burning with a ferocity she felt that even that of ryncol could not match.

She swore she was a good father, really she was. Shepard got up at all hours of the night, warming bottles of breast milk that Liara kept in the fridge from using a breast pump, letting her wife get as much sleep as she could to recover from the majority of lethargy being a new parent caused. She sung little Amira to sleep, human lullabies her own mother had sung to her when she was a child.

Shepard would bathe, clothe and play with their daughter, her face almost breaking in half from the constant smile that she wore. Certainly, being a happy family with her daughter and her gorgeous, braniac wife was the life she was sure everyone else in the Universe was jealous of. She was even- somehow- jealous of her own life some days.

How did she just ever get so lucky? Perhaps she would never know, but she was equal parts grateful and elated. However, this was the one thing she had always dreaded. Usually, Liara would still be awake enough to be able to deal with diaper changes and to this day, Shepard had not needed to come face to face with the demon she now stared down at. Liara had been out cold and had swatted the Commander away despite her insistence that her motherliness was needed, the asari mumbling something in her sleep about 'a varren that had babies with a krogan'.

So here she was, using a single finger to carefully pull back the front of the diaper, her eyes widening and a cough making its way painfully out of her chest as she resisted the urge to gag. There was the culprit, that pile of goo that had been smushed all over Amira's tiny backside.

"Oh Amira... honey, stop squirming, you're making it-" Shepard watched with disdain as her daughter lifted her pudgy little legs up into the air, grabbing a hold of them momentarily before letting them go again, mashing them into the mess in the diaper underneath.

Amira must have felt it, because her face screwed up and Shepard could clearly see that the little bundle was about to start sobbing at the horrible wetness now covering the back of her thighs. That's when she decided it was now or never; the last thing she would have would be a crying infant and a wife woken and cranky from an otherwise peaceful sleep.

"Okay, _heeerrre we go!_" in the most soothing voice she could muster, she took Amira by the ankles with one hand, lifting the child just enough that she could pull the messy diaper away from her body in one swift motion with the other. The diaper was quickly wrapped up and thrown into the waste bin beside the change table, a wave of relief overtaking the human now that the worst of it was out of the way.

Now she just had to clean up Amira and put on a new one, and all would be good.

Peering down, she saw the mess now staining the the top sheet on the change table. _Well, nothing a round in the washer wouldn't fix_, she supposed. Reaching under the table, she retrieved the baby wipes and a clean, pre-packaged diaper. This couldn't be too hard, I mean, she'd watched Liara do it more times now than she could count.

The lid of the wipes popped open easily, revealing the white, moist cloth poking out through the hole in the top. She tugged one out, took a moment to ponder it, then pulled out another two. Amira struggled as she lifted the girl's first leg and began wiping at it, small, keening wails beginning in her little throat.

"Oh Mirry, shhh you'll wake mummy, shhhh it's okay daddy's here and she's gonna' get you all cleaned up, okay sweetie?" trying her best to take on a soothing tone didn't help much, when she could feel the panic rising up in her chest. _God, please don't wake Liara up._

Wiping down the second thigh while 'shhh'ing' Amira seemed to settle the child a little more, her whines slowly subsiding as her big, ice-blue eyes looked up into her father's so inquisitively it captured the woman's heart. _She has your eyes, my love. _She recalled Liara's voice in the back of her mind, her first memory of Amira being brought into this world, wrapped up firmly in a blanket in her mother's arms as they lay in a hospital bed.

A cheesy smile cracked across Shepard's face; she reached down with both hands held in a claw like shape and tickled the pudgy little tummy in front of her, a squeal of delight singing from tiny vocal chords in response to the tickle attack. A rich chuckle escaped from the Commander's own throat, her fingers easing off their torture as she gave the pot-belly a gentle pat with her palm.

She retrieved one of the other clean wipes and with renewed vigour got to work cleaning off the rest of the mess between Amira's butt-cheeks, making sure to get every last bit. As she tossed the dirty cloths into the waste bin, she tore open the new diaper, unfolding it and placing underneath the now placid child. _Well, I guess that didn't turn out to be so bad after all._ An afterthought, that left a tender smile on her face as she pulled the paper off the tabs and firmly secured the protective padding, giving it a tug to make sure it wasn't too loose.

"Look at that! Daddy changed your diaper _allllll_ by herself! Reckon' mumma' blue would be proud?" picking Amira up carefully, Shepard secured her against her chest, pressing a few tender kisses to the soft, freckled crest. A high pitched cry of contentedness came in reply, making the woman let out a soft laugh, followed by more kisses.

"I think mumma' blue would indeed be proud," the soft, sleepy voice that interrupted the tender moment between father and daughter was half welcomed, part of Shepard's gut instinctively sinking as she realised she had woken up her lover, her face dropping with guilt as she turned to meet ocean-blue eyes.

"Babe, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to-"

Her voice, barely above a whisper, never got around to finishing as she took in the sight before her.

Liara was clad in black panties and a thick cut bra, the kind that had special cups that unclipped for breast-feeding. They fit her and supported her swollen mounds perfectly, barely an inch of cleavage revealed from underneath the thin, satin nightgown thrown lazily over top and tied loosely at the hips. The best part though, was the look of absolute adoration the asari had on her face.

Her lips curled into a loving smile, her cheeks rosy and eyes puffy, the look of just being woken somehow making her look more radiant than ever as she shuffled over. Her mouth and Shepard's met in a long, lingering kiss, the two practically melting against one another.

"_Mmmm... _I guess you're not mad at me then?" Shepard asked quietly, her voice lowering as she pulled away scant millimetres. Liara tipped her head sideways just a touch, bumping their noses together in one of her favourite gestures of affection as a stray blue hand explored the backside of Shepard's black boxer shorts.

A mischievous smile made its way across the Asari's face, her eyes sparkling despite the obvious tiredness in her features. She reached out and gingerly coaxed Amira from the humans arms, shushing the babe and pressing a kiss to the same spot Shepard had, cradling her carefully before turning back to her wife.

"How could I be mad at such a wonderful, doting father?" inquiring in a tone that suggested it was a fact rather than a question, causing a light blush to creep up Shepard's cheeks and ears.

"Yeah well, y'know, I still feel bad for waking you up. But... you look absolutely fucking gorgeous right now, just thought you should know," Shepard tried to hide her slight embarrassment, leaning in to grasp Liara firmly at the hips, fingering the silken fabric underneath her hands ever so slowly.

Humming softly in approval, Liara pressed another sweet kiss to the Commander's lips, shifting her arms to adjust Amira's weight as their daughter wriggled restlessly.

"You can show me later how gorgeous you think I am," a promise the asari knew her wife would have no trouble fulfilling as she already saw the human bite her lower lip; heard her hum low in her throat.

"But right now, you can go make us breakfast. I'll dress Amira and be down shortly."

"Right. Breakfast. I can do that. You go do mummy stuff and daddy will be downstairs preparing a feast fit for a Queen and Princess," as she finished her sentence Shepard leant down, pressing a warm kiss to Amira's cheek, then standing tall again and pressing another to her wife's waiting lips.

"I love you Li," she whispered, enjoying the way those blue cheeks grew just a little darker at her words.

"I love you too, now go make me food, I'm absolutely famished," her voice both commanding yet jovial, her eyes revealing to Shepard just how much and how deeply she really did love her bond-mate.

A grin broke across the commander's face, and she was downstairs in a flash. She did indeed keep her word, serving up a breakfast that, in her opinion, would make even the Royal Family of England envious. Only the best for her two favourite girls in the entire Universe.


	2. Bath Time

**_Thanks tons for all the follows/faves and reviews so far guys, I appreciate them all you guys are awesome :3_**

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_*plip, plip, plip*_

Silvery, shimmering baubles splashed with all the colours of the rainbow; wobbling purples; drifting blues; daring greens; bubbles of all sizes danced along the surface of the warm bathwater, delighting the baby asari as she stabbed a chubby index finger into them mercilessly.

She was growing ever more curious and insatiably adventurous with every passing day, a trait- Liara had firmly insisted- that had undoubtedly been passed on to the girl from her thrill-seeking father. As the Commander sat with her back against the angled rear of the bathtub, she watched with great amusement as her daughter sat safely between her legs, bathing in the shallow water.

Amira was almost a year old now, a fact that some days Shepard had trouble wrapping her head around. It felt like just yesterday Liara had given birth to the precious little one; it felt like just the other day they both struggled to make it through the days after sleep deprived nights, woken up by cries of hunger or a wet diaper.

Now as she sat with the girl, who was endlessly entranced by the bubbles, she gently scooped up palm-fulls of the warm water and brought it up to dribble over the shoulders covered in pale freckles. With tender care that Liara had taught her to do, she pressed her thumbs into the crevices of the folds at the back of Amira's neck, scrubbing away the muck of the day. She'd learnt early on that this was a highly sensitive area, and it could be uncomfortable to the child if not done right.

The little one squirmed just a bit, more out of annoyance that the scrubbing was jostling her rather than the actions causing pain to her crest. She let out a high pitched whine, followed by unintelligible babbling as a tiny little blue hand raised up into the air, whooshing back down to land with an audible _CLACK_ against Shepard's thigh.

The raven-haired woman flinched noticeably, the child's hand having smacked down on her badly scarred leg. The skin was still tight and shiny, mottled with bumps and a hatched pattern in some spots; she had suffered third degree burns to that leg, her armour having fused to the flesh when she was captured in the flames of the explosion on the Citadel.

She had refused artificial dermal replacement therapy, personally believing that any and all of her scars were a testament to what she had fought for, that being her very right to be here at this moment with a loving wife and daughter. Shepard was damned proud of her scars, and she wasn't afraid to show them to the world, wearing her favourite bikini during family beach trips and ignoring the hushed whispers she always heard from passer-bys.

"_Did you see that woman's leg? It looked totally weird!"_

"_I know right? You'd think she'd at least have the decency to cover up with a beach skirt!"_

_A rosy blush had burned deeply along the war hero's face, her inner fear and doubt only finally being put to rest as blue digits intertwined with her own and squeezed tightly, the purest and warmest of smiles adorning Liara's face being all the reassurance she needed._

Liara loved her scars, insisting that they just gave her more character and made her all the more dashing, in her eyes. While she hadn't regained a lot of sensitivity in her scarred thigh, around the edges where deformed flesh met silken smooth, even the slightest touch felt like a hot match followed by pin-pricks.

That's why she had to struggle to keep the tinge of pain now coursing its way through her thigh from showing, biting down on her lower lip as she quickly took Amira's arm and moved it away from her leg.

"Honey, don't hit daddy, that's not very nice."

More babbling from Amira's mouth as the child took instead to slapping happily at the surface of the water, causing big clumps of bubbles to fly through the air and land on them both like warm, fluffy snow. A heavy sigh escaped Shepard's lips, realising her mouth was turning up into an unconscious smile despite herself, the pain slowly ebbing away. A quick shake of her head, and she returned to the task at hand, making sure she got Amira as clean as clean could be.

"Are my two favourite girls nearly finished with their nightly bathing ritual?" a coy voice sung from the doorway, the asari slowly making her way across the room with two fresh towels slung over her shoulder. Shepard's lips parted to reveal a crooked grin, her eyes almost the shade of a melting icicle, flecked with hues of swirling charcoal and dirty blues.

"Squeaky clean," announced the bathing woman triumphantly, carefully plucking up the slippery child from the soapy water and passing her up to Liara, fluffy peach towel wrapping around the small form while the Commander tilted her chin up and watched expectantly.

A musical chuckle spilled from Liara's lips, and she complied to the wishes portrayed by those dancing eyes, leaning further down to press a soft kiss to Shepard's lips before pulling away. The Commander's eyes followed her wife's lithe form, a silent and appreciative smile creasing her cheeks as Liara bounced Amira gently in her motherly embrace, brushing the towel over wet skin to make sure she was thoroughly dried.

Hands on the side of the tub for support, Shepard slowly eased herself up out of the water, her muscular legs twitching for support underneath her as she reached to pull out the plug, dribbles of water carving paths down her calves and tickling the skin. The drain bubbled and gulped as the liquid began to drain, a miniature whirlpool forming as clumps of white swam towards the exit.

Stepping out of the tub and onto the plushness of a woven mat, she took a moment to stretch out the stiffness of sitting in one position for an extended period of time. She cocked her head and closed her eyes as she worked tension out of a shoulder, a playful smile teasing at her lips.

"You gonna' come dry me off too babe?"

She was jolted out of her reverie as the second towel came flying at her, flapping lightly against her face and draping over her damp, tangled mess of hair. Frowning lightly, she could almost hear the grin that she was certain her wife must have been wearing right now.

"Suit yourself," she mumbled nonchalantly, grasping the fabric at its sides and pulling it away from her vision. She scrubbed forcefully to dry the damp spots on her hair, though she knew it would have to air dry on its own.

Liara finished towelling off Amira, dropping the damp object in the laundry hamper beside the bathroom cabinet and making her way out of the bathroom to dress the girl. Shepard wasted no time in wrapping her own towel around her still dripping form, shuffling her wet feet against the bath mat so she didn't track footprints though the house as she took off after her wife.

Just around the corner, the asari had entered their daughter's room, placing her down tenderly on the change table as she went to the wooden dresser. It was painted a pastel blue, one that Shepard herself had insisted upon as she felt it complimented their little girl's colour. The Commander smiled as she watched, her bond-mate opening the top drawer and picking up the first onesie she found; a creamy white pair covered in little giraffes and zebras.

Shepard grinned to herself as she stood watching her lover, first putting a clean diaper on their daughter with the speed and precision of a diaper-change-master, then appreciating the cute pyjamas that she was now wriggling onto the cooing child.

Once they had their first visit to a zoo here on Earth, Liara had become practically enthralled by the variety of animals and creatures that the planet had to offer, and had taken to researching far and wide for the best zoos and animal reservations that hadn't thus far been destroyed by the reapers. Some were even brand new to replace those that had been destroyed in the war.

Her obsession had carried over to Amira as well, purchasing any clothing she could for the child that displayed adorable Earth creatures and cute catch phrases. There was also a large mound of plush animals strewn about Amira's play area, and although she insisted they were just for their daughter, the human could see the way Liara's stormy blue eyes sparkled with enjoyment whenever she 'talked through the animals' for their little one.

Long, delicate fingers buttoned up the onesie, the corner of Liara's lips turned up in the corners, her eyelids lowered and displaying a softness that conveyed all the love and adoration a mother could possibly have for her daughter. Shepard felt her heart jolt in her chest, her breath catching in her throat for just a second as she watched her lover gingerly pick up Amira and carry her over to her crib.

The human wandered over, a hand hardened and covered in all manner of white lines from battle scars still soft and soothing as it found Liara's waist; the smooth cotton fabric of the asari's T-shirt felt good under the Commander's fingers, though not as good as she knew the skin underneath would feel.

A few kisses planted to Amira's forehead, the little one's mouth stretching out in an almost silent yawn signalling that it was that time of night as her mother carefully placed her down in her crib.

"Goodnight, little Amira," Liara whispered softly, her eyes blinking slowly as she finally turned around to meet her lover's gaze, the human noting to herself that the asari looked like she could pass out the second her head hit the pillow.

"What about you, Mrs. T'soni-Shepard? I think I hear the bed calling your name," the teasing tone mixed with adoration made the asari blush lightly, a barely audible laugh rolling off her lips as she wrapped both of her arms over her wife's shoulders.

"Mmm, I must admit, I wouldn't be opposed to you picking me up in your strong embrace and carrying me across the threshold my love," the softness in her voice was absolutely adorable, Shepard felt herself melting as she stared into those tired eyes and unwavering smile, leaning in to take the softest taste she could of those blueberry lips.

Liara hummed contentedly into the kiss, her legs almost buckling under her; it amazed her how even to this day Shepard could make her entire body turn to jelly from the slightest touch. If someone had told her back before they met on Therum that she would one day turn to putty in the hands of a human, she would have scoffed at such a ridiculous idea, and yet here they were.

"Alright, just let me say goodnight to the bub, then I shall be at your beck and call for the rest of the evening."

The asari bit her lower lip and laughed ever so softly at the remark, watching as her lover wriggled out of her embrace and over to the crib. A kiss was pressed to Shepard's fingers, which she then leant down and gently stroked against Amira's cheek, who was now having difficulty keeping her tiny little eyes open.

Shepard let out a low laugh as her daughter managed to grab onto her fingers, holding on and squeezing as best as she could with a babbling that could almost have been mistaken for "da-da" if she hadn't have kept repeating it like a song only she knew the lyrics to.

"Daddy loves you angel, ni-ni, don't let the bed bugs bite."

Turning away from the crib, she had to hide the cheesy smile that was holding her face hostage, moving in and scooping Liara up into her arms so quickly the asari's eyes almost popped out of her head and she let out a high pitched yelp; her legs were flung out from under her, arms wrapping deathly tight around her wife's neck in an attempt to gain her bearings again.

Jovial laughter bounced around the room, the Commander being quite pleased with herself as she began carrying the curvaceous form of her wife bridal style out of the bedroom. Those questioning blue eyes flitted as they peered up at the woman holding her safely in her arms, her body finally easing into the embrace. Her fingers wound themselves into the thicket of black locks that fell over Shepard's shoulders, and she eventually found herself nestling her flushed face against the nearest collarbone.

At some point during the trip to their own bedroom, Shepard's towel had come undone and fallen from her body. Thankfully, by the time they finally fell onto the mattress together, the last thing Liara was thinking about was sleeping. In fact, the asari was eternally grateful for the fact that her efforts that night had not been impeded in the least by clothing, let alone a bath towel.


	3. Picnic

AN: Thanks for all the faves/reviews so far, they're always appreciated ^_^

I did receive one from a user asking if Femshep & family were living on Earth, and the answer is yes, until the rebuilding on Thessia is more complete. From what I understand Thessia copped a lot harder blow in terms of destruction than even Earth and Palaven did.

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If anyone had told Shepard that one day her military career would end with her destroying an impossible army of invading synthetic intelligence, end with her ultimately hanging up her armour for good and settling down as a civilian with a wife and child, she probably would have laughed so hard it split her sides; followed by slapping whoever said it on the back while congratulating them on a 'good one'.

No, she had always seen herself as a military woman- a grade A N7 soldier- who was devoted to her life serving for the Alliance. In the words of one Karen Chakwas herself; _the Alliance is my spouse, and you're all my children._

So what had changed so drastically? Surely, she could blame it in most part to the war that ravaged their galaxy almost to the point of their total extinction; there was only so many days you could stand on the front lines, watching your friends and fellow soldiers being picked off by husks; watching as you tore across the battlefield while a group of asari covering your flank were destroyed- one by one- by a ravager's gun.

There were only so many days you could endure on streets filled with rubble and puddles of murky water, stained mauve with the inky blood of a human and a Turian soldier torn to shreds. She'd learned to turn away, make herself believe if she stopped looking at the remnants of corpses and body parts, that it would all be okay; she could continue on with the mission ahead of her and focus on getting herself and her team out alive on the other side.

Somewhere, that inquisitive little girl that grew up on Alliance ships stopped being convinced that ending up at a ripe old age of 78 while still tearing up Geth on the battlefield with her biotics was where she wanted her life to end up.

Maybe it was on Therum; despite the objections and concerns of the Quarian and Gunnery-Chief by her side, something inside of her had resonated deeply the second she laid eyes on the poor Asari archaeologist suspended by a Prothean forcefield. For all her and her team had known, she could have very well been working for Matriarch Benezia, but Shepard just couldn't bring herself to believe that no matter how hard she'd tried.

Liara had thanked her profusely time and time again for putting her trust in the Asari, and yet every time the Commander had to reassure her that her thanks were not needed. She trusted her implicitly, and that trust only grew more with every mission where the biotically-gifted-woman had her back. For every biotic shield that protected the Commander from a spray of bullets, Shepard would throw back her own flurry of wispy blue, her favourite kind being whenever a group of Geth or Cerberus minions would fly off a ledge from the force.

They synchronised perfectly in the heat of the battle, and it wasn't long before that synchronicity carried through into off-duty as well, not in the least of those things being the way their bodies moved together so flawlessly.

"Shepard?"

Snapped out of her own thoughts, Shepard turned her head to face the inquisitive gaze her good friend Tali was giving her. The Quarian was smiling ever so softly but had a crinkle in the very centre of her eyebrows. The technology the Geth had worked hard on in order to assist the Quarians in living outside of their suits was proving to be successful in every right.

"Sorry, must have been somewhere else," chuckling softly, the Commander stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back onto her elbows as she let her eyes wander over to the playground where Liara was gently pushing Amira on a swing set.

Tali followed the humans gaze, her face softening as she watched the mother and daughter together, but still reaching out a hand to press firmly against her friends shoulder while peering at her in her peripheral vision.

"I know you better than that, Shepard. I know you're happy with Liara and the little one, but that happiness can only carry the mind so far."

The Quarian was right, she'd been avoiding talking about the nightmares and the memories plaguing her since Liara had taken her to see Dr. Chakwas. Maybe not talking about it was going to end up being her downfall.

"I don't want to burden them with my issues Tali, it wouldn't be fair to them. I'm meant to be the strong one, I'm meant to keep them safe and protected, not crawl into a ball every time I wake up from having a bad dream."

"Has the medication been helping?" the firm hand on her shoulder had slid down to the middle of her back, swiping back and forth in calming motions. A heavy sigh heaved from Shepard's lungs as she pushed herself forwards, un-clipping the ice esky and reaching in.

The ice crunched and clattered around her hand before she finally managed to pull a bottle of beer out for herself. Checking the label to make sure it was a levo drink, she nodded almost imperceptibly, then reaching back in to retrieve a dextro beer for Tali. The Quarian uttered her thanks before they both cracked the drinks open and took long swigs.

After about a quarter of her bottle was gone, Shepard let it fall from her lips, wiping a forearm ungracefully across her mouth; watching the amber liquid bubbling behind the frosted green glass was almost soothing.

"Yes," she stopped and thought about her reply, "no. Shit, I don't know Tali. Some days it helps, I guess... other days? Not so much."

Letting her eyes flit to the side, she could see her friend eyeing her, both with concern and with understanding. It made her feel like she was under a microscope, being poked and prodded all over again as someone asked "does that hurt?" while she resisted temptation to snap back that, "yes, my dislocated shoulder does hurt you fuck, now would you kindly stop touching it?"

There was a silence drifting between the two as they considered each other, the morbidity of the conversation only finally snapping like a tightly wound thread as the sound of a giggling Asari baby rang through the air. At some point, Liara had plucked Amira from the swing and was now lifting her up into the air, blowing raspberries on the little girl's exposed belly.

"You should talk to Karin about it. Well, you should talk to anybody really..." at the sceptical glare Shepard threw at the Quarian, the girl raised her free digits defensively, still nursing the bottle of alcohol.

"Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do or how to deal with your... symptoms..." as the girl trailed off, the human had to wince visibly at the way she was purposefully avoiding the use of her diagnosis. Not like it would make her PTSD go away just by not mentioning the word. Her brow crinkled up and her lips thinned momentarily before she took another long pull of her beer.

"But as a friend, could you at least talk to someone? For me? Or at least... do it for Liara, and your daughter."

The thought was in there now, up in her brain and flitting about like a moth that wasn't quite sure if it wanted to go outside through the window or if it wanted to stay in and chew your clothes. Swallowing another mouthful of crisp, golden liquid, the Commander finally managed to bring her head to nod understanding to her friend.

"Yeah," muttering as she chewed on her lower lip, she rocked back and forth as she contemplated the rest of her sentence. "Yeah, I'll... I'll think about it. I promise."

Turning back to the Quarian, it warmed her heart to see Tali giving her a kind smile, her eyes shimmering in the warm afternoon sun. It wasn't an answer to the great Commander Shepard's problems, and things most certainly weren't going to get better over night, but she knew this was a start and that the human would do her very best to make good on her promise.

"Good, looks like Liara and I can call off our plan to knock you out and force you to go and see the doctor ourselves," a mischievous grin lit up the Quarians face as she jiggled her bottle by the neck from her fingertips. "For now, anyway."

Shepard lowered her eyebrows, her eyelids squinting in a mock-threatening way. This only served to make Tali's grin grow even wider as she took a sip of her drink.

As if on cue, Shepard's gorgeous wife and adorable baby made their way over to the pair as they sat on the laid out picnic blanket. The human instantly sat up straighter, making enough room next to herself so that she could first take Amira in her arms, then take Liara by the hand to guide her down as the Asari carefully positioned her summer dress around her lithe figure.

The flowing material- a pale pink that crinkled and pulled in at the waist- complimented the warm, almost matching shade on Liara's cheeks. For some reason, now with a bouncing child in her lap and an amazing bond-mate at her side, all the troubles of before were melting away as though a cool breeze had blown through after a simmering heatwave.

"You two been enjoying yourselves?" she asked as she watched Shepard holding her bottle of beer just out of the reach of the ever grasping digits of Amira. The older Asari reached over to just behind the ice esky, retrieving what looked like an ordinary thermos but about twice the size. She unscrewed the lid and pulled out a bottle of milk, handing it to Shepard with a small smile on her face.

The Commander pushed the bottle into Amira's little hands, pleased that the child grabbed firmly onto the clear plastic instead of reaching for her alcoholic beverage. The corner of her lips turned up as she assisted her daughter in tipping the bottle up for a drink.

"Oh you know, the usual. You know, I was about to remind Shepard about the time she got fall-down drunk on ryncol at her last birthday party, stripped down to her underwear and covered her face in mud to go 'varren hunting' with Grunt."

Shepard's face twisted into what could have been either embarrassment or anger, her cheeks went the darkest shade of red the Quarian had ever seen and her mouth was parting to speak but all that came out was a series of pathetic squeaks.

Looking to her Asari lover for support, she was instead met with a quiet series of giggles and dancing eyes of ocean blue, her wife drawing her knees up to hug them at her chest as she intently stared back at the human.

"Yes, I remember that night quite well. In fact, I believe it took several days to wash all the mud completely out of those wonderful locks of yours, love," with a crooked smile, Liara reached over and let several of her fingers tease through the black as coal hair that fell around Shepard's face like a mane.

Grumbling to herself softly, Shepard still accepted the attention her wife lavished on her, even eliciting a small sigh as those wonderful blue fingers rested at the nape of her neck and traced circling patterns on the sensitive skin there. Amira was suckling away at her bottle of milk hungrily, bouncing out her excitement from her place in her father's lap. She was getting bigger with every day that passed, more adventurous, inquisitive and constantly challenging her parents to keep up with her as she crawled around the house like a mischievous rat.

"Oh keelah, is it really that late already? I almost forgot I'm meeting up with Admiral Xen to assist in decrypting a damaged Geth data packet," Tali fussed with a self deprecating tone as her omni-tool blipped at her, reminding her of the schedule programmed into it.

Liara's eyes brightened at the mentioning of the Geth, leaning forwards with her now resolute 'Shadow Broker' face that demanded to know the inner workings of the Universe.

"I have heard a little from Feron since my... retiring, however he still tries to keep me in the loop with information he believes would be of interest to me," her voice quickened its pace as she watched Tali's lips crack a smile, knowing all too well the difference between 'Liara the wife and mother', and 'Liara the scientist and scholar'. "You're rebuilding the Geth?"

Tali scratched at her temple, a mixed expression of remorse and doubt washing over her features, her thin lips parting to breath a gentle sigh that almost resembled one of defeat.

"Yes. Well, we're trying. Their mobile platforms seem to be mostly intact, and repairing wiring and circuit boards is a simple task," the young Quarian began, pushing her beer to her lips and draining the rest, setting the now empty bottle down beside her.

"The difficult part is retrieving what we can of their intelligence from their servers. So far each one we've come across has been wiped clean, with only fragments that don't form enough cohesive data to be of any use," shrugging her shoulders gently, Tali tapped into her omni-tool, speaking firmly to the person on the other end as she requested a shuttle at her location.

A shiver clawed its way through Shepard's spine, her eyes pressing shut for several seconds. _Emptying the barrel of a pistol, fire, flames, engulfment, pain, the end of the Geth, Edi..._

"Dah," Amira mouthed quietly, letting go of her bottle and patting her father's forearm gently, the motion bringing the human back to reality. Her eyes flitted down, seeing her daughter was satisfied, taking the now empty bottle and passing it to her wife to put away. For the moment the horrific memories returned to just a whisper at the back of her mind.

"We had teams on Rannoch scouring the planet for resources, just this week one of them came across an underground bunker full of Geth servers running off an eezo generator. It must have somehow survived the initial energy burst of the Crucible, the data appears to be only partially damaged and the fragmentation is limited enough that after we encrypt it there might be a chance to rebuild their AI," Tali stated matter of factly, her lips quirked up into a pleased smile as she watched out of her peripheral vision the Commander holding Amira to her chest, patting her back until she burped.

"I would have thought that after everything the Quarians went through they would be wary about trying to rebuild and reactivate the Geth," Liara's voice was prim and matter of fact, as they all knew full well there was still those in the Quarian fleet who opposed working alongside the machines.

Tali hummed softly to herself, as if contemplating the argument herself. Her eyes suddenly seemed far away from where they were at present time, and it wasn't until the sound of a shuttle approaching through the atmosphere that she was brought back to reality.

Liara stood up, reaching out a hand to hoist up her Quarian friend to her feet, a warm smile on the Asari's face as she watched the girl try to regain her footing on the soft grass under their feet.

"Keelah, I'm glad the rebuilding of Earth is going well, but I will never understand the fascination with this 'grass' stuff."

Chuckling softly, Liara reached out to lift Amira from her wife's outstretched arms, nestling the girl against her side with a protective arm as Shepard pushed herself up. Grinning widely, the Commander pulled Tali quite forcefully into her arms for a warm hug, catching the surprised girl off guard and making her cheeks positively flushed.

"Yeah, tell you what, when the rebuilding back in Armali on Thessia is done you'll be the first person invited to our new home," the Commander gently allowed her friend from her arms, tipping her head to the side with a cheeky smile and arms crossed over her small breasts.

"Much as I'm happy wherever I am in the Universe- so long as it's with Liara and Amira of course- I am so looking forward to building a new life on Thessia," letting one of her arms swoop over her wife's shoulders, pulling her closer, Shepard's eyes took on a loving and wistful appearance as she took in the gentle blush colouring Liara's cheek.

"I'm sure that sentiment is shared by her as well," the musical teasing left Tali's lips, quick enough that she was able to jump away from the swatting hand of her old Commander.

The shuttle engines whirred and the grass whipped underneath it as it landed just a few metres away from where they stood, the side door sliding open with a hiss in expectation of Tali's return. The Quarian leaned in and hugged Liara warmly, sparing a moment as she did so to press a kiss to Amira's forehead, eliciting a small squeak of happiness from the bub at the contact. Tali laughed softly, almost feeling tearful that she had to leave her dear friends so soon; but alas, duty called.

"Take care, both of you. You've done enough saving the galaxy for all of our lifetimes," stepping away from the family, a playful smile crossed her face. "Now it's my time to shine."

"Later Tali, don't forget about us poor peasants while you're off being an Admiral yeah?" Shepard quipped back, her earlier grin returning with a wink, soon breaking into a deep laugh as the Quarian sauntered off towards the shuttle with a spring in her step.

As the door slide closed and it begun its ascension, Liara was holding Amira's little hand gently and helping her to wave goodbye, a smile creasing into her soft cheeks as her bond-mate slid behind her, enveloping her in the warmth and strength of both her arms.

"So, what would you like to do now, love?" inquired the Asari, her eyes closing as Shepard's lips found the delicate folds on the nape of her neck, kissing them with languid presses.

"Well we're young, free, we've got the park all to ourselves..." the Commander mused quietly, swaying the woman in her arms as she continued her affections.

"You want to go on the swing set, don't you?"

The great Commander Shepard paused her motions, and it was only a few seconds before Liara felt the grin spread across the lips still sitting against the skin of her neck, followed soon after by a bashful chuckle.

"Ah, you know me so well babe."

And so, the married couple spent the following two hours enjoying every piece of playground equipment together with their blossoming daughter, only finally packing up to head back home when their chests and cheeks ached from the joy of love and laughter.


End file.
